Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - Hope Forever

This book was absolute garbage! I cannot believe I’m saying this about a Colleen Hoover book, because I loved every minute of “Verity” and “It Ends With Us”, but HOOVER, what went wrong here?!

So putting aside the fact that Sky and Dean basically hook up while washing

SKY’S DAD’S

blood off of their bodies, because I don’t want to spoil any of the trashy plotline, there’s still a lot to address here.

For starters, the constant slut shaming throughout this novel is so weird! Sky adamantly declares every couple of pages that she is not a slut, lest the reader judge her harshly. The first thing Colleen wants you to know about Sky is that she is not a slut. In the span of first ten pages you’ll find these two quotes:

- “Despite what this may look like, I am not a slut. Unless, of course, the definition of slut is based on the fact that I make out with lots of people, regardless of my lack of attraction to them. In that case, one might have grounds for debate.”

- “This brings me back to the fact that, contrary to popular belief, I am not a slut. I’ve never had sex with any of the boys I’ve made out with, including the currently pouting Grayson.”

So while we’re on the topic of girls hating girls, there are these hateful quotes as well:

- “Shayna/Shayla is everything I wish I were. Tall, voluptuous, and sun-kissed blonde…. maybe I don’t want to be that blonde.”

- “I just swiped my card and I’m almost positive she should be doing something on her end, but she’s too busy planning her wedding with this guy to remember she has a customer.”

- “Peppy, fake girls annoy the hell out of me.”

Also, Dean, the love interest, is a disaster. He’s, for one, a creep. Sky herself agrees. She states as much at the beginning of the book as Dean follows her to her car in the grocery store parking lot:

“There was something so disturbing about the way he looked at me. It was uncomfortable”.

Dean is also alarmingly possessive and violent:

- [After Dean refuses to leave Sky’s room, despite numerous requests for him to leave] “I don’t know if I should scream for help or rip off my clothes.”

- [After noticing Sky is wearing a new bracelet] “‘Where’d you get it?’ he says again, this time a little more demanding. His grip tightens around my wrist and he’s staring at me coldly, expecting an explanation. I pull my wrist away, not liking where this is going.”

- Dean: “‘I ever see him trying to touch you like he does and he’ll be reintroduced to my fist.'”

But apparently Sky is okay with Dean’s aggression, because she partakes in it too:

- “Before [Dean] can leap across the table and beat the shit out of the guy, I do something that shocks even myself. I slap [Dean] as hard as I can across the face. He immediately pulls his hand to his cheek and looks at me, completely taken aback.”

Can I quickly mention that Sky and Dean had no real chemistry? They were so obviously just bonding over trauma.

I could keep quoting things what will make you gape down at your phone like “what the eff?” Or I could elaborate on the harmful stereotypes in this book, or I could attempt to summarise the wacky plot line, but I think you get the idea. Just don’t read this book!

But if you’re going to ignore my negative review, because after all, a lot of people seemed to like this book, at least don’t ignore my content warnings.

Content Warnings

colleenreads2's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

izreadsalot's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

When I first started the book, I didn't think I was going to like it. It didn't seem like Colleen Hoover and it felt like a cheesy YA without much substance. I had no idea what I was going into. As someone who has experienced trauma and PTSD, this book really spoke to me. Every person's situation is different and everyone deals with their trauma in different ways and I did not experience the exact same thing as Sky. However, there were many moments where I felt so seen. This was probably the most difficult of Hoover's books so far for me to read, but I'm so glad I read it.

Sky is finally going to "real" school her senior year of high school after a life of homeschooling. Dean Holder has returned after a year of being gone from school. When the two of them meet, Holder is instantly captivated by her. Sky doesn't know what to make of him, but something about him intrigues her. Something about him starts to bring back memories of her past that she's spent her whole life burying. She tries to push him away, but they can't seem to stay away from each other. And once they finally give in to one another, they feel closer than ever. However, when Sky finds out that Holder has been keeping something very important from her, she doesn't know if she can ever trust him again. Could Holder know more about her than he's letting on?

{TW: Bullying, Child Sexual Abuse, Death of a parent, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual Abuse, Suicide}

Again, this is not a cheesy romance novel. The romance is a huge part of it, and it's beautifully written, but there's so much more to it.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves CoHo books, anyone who enjoys heavy plot lines or books that will make them cry, and anyone who enjoys plot-heavy romances.

I definitely plan on picking up the sequel.

Content Warnings

olivia_stoney's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this book! I did suspect some things at the beginning, but the twist really got to me. Definitely should check trigger warnings before reading, but it was such a good book! CoHo has done it again!

Content Warnings